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Book reviews by library staff and guest contributors
Ana and Harwin are best friends. They thought the fun would last forever, brewing fairy tea, playing horse doctor, crafting, and jumping on a trampoline. Then Harwin tells Ana her family is moving away and the two friends aren't sure how their friendship will measure up going forward. Their ability to chart their friendship through timelines, bar graphs, and everything in between tells the story of how they maneuver through memories, feelings, the passing of time until the day Harwin leaves, and ultimately how they plan to stay in touch.
It is bedtime and little rabbit has much to do to get ready for bed, so he needs the reader’s help. Toddlers tap, clap, fluff (a pillow), and even give rabbit a kiss to help him through his bedtime ritual. This is just one of the Little Rabbit series that is sure to be popular with young readers. Other titles in this interactive board book series are Bathtime for Little Rabbit, and Poor Little Rabbit.
Here on planet Earth we may joke that our rock stars are gods, but in the universe of Gail Carriger's Tinkered Stars they really are. But to gain that status they first have to be recruited and then survive a competition (think American Idol competition, as opposed to the Hunger Games - no killing off the competition here) and prove they have the skill, artistry, and that certain something - call it stage presence or star power or charisma - that will make the audience worship them. Enter Phex.
There is something so pure and honest and sweet about Jarrett Krosoczka's young adult graphic memoirs. I expected a lot from this follow up to Hey, Kiddo about Jarrett's complicated home life growing up with a drug-addicted mother, an absentee father, and two loud and opinionated grandparents who thought they were done raising children. Sunshine does not disappoint. It's the perfect complement.
All you spuds looking for duds, “Lance Vance’s Fancy Pants Store” is having a big sale on potato pants. Hurry, hurry, hurry because “Once they’re gone, they’re gone!”
Fawcett's novel is one I've been hearing good things about for months. Many of the people who loved Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree love this one. And since I loved L&L, I've had this one on my tbr for some time. When I had some downtime recently I finally found the moment to dive in.
Louise left Charleston behind when she moved away for college at sixteen and returning to her childhood home after the unexpected death of her parents sends her into the same negative space and patterns she escaped from decades before. Louise's estranged brother Mark notifies her of their parents' fatal accident nearly two days after it takes place. The decisions he's made in the time between their death and Louise's arrival sends her into a spiral of anger and confusion. And then there's the house.
I recently got a question from someone with a library mystery - a picture book they were looking for about a woman who bakes away her sadness. It was kind of dark, with a house on a hill... but they couldn't remember the title!
This didn't ring any bells for me, but we have a great team with lots of combined experience with children's books, so I put out a call to crowd source the title and one of my colleagues came up with the answer: Mrs. Biddlebox, which does indeed have a dark swirly cover and the title page features a house on a hill.
Ethan and his family are getting a fresh start in the hot, coastal town of Palm Knot, Georgia, or at least they are trying to. While there's a promise of finding new friends and rebuilding family relationships, Ethan's guilt of who he was and what he did continues to haunt him. Whispered phone calls at night, family secrets and the secrets of his possible new best friend, Coralee, ultimately contribute to Ethan's understanding of the importance of remembering and forgiveness. This is a capably written story that discusses death, forgiveness, and the effects of guilt on a young mind.
